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Current and future TORNADO enhancement programmes

Berlin, 01 May 2002

The Tornado combat aircraft has been developed as a tri-national programme with shared responsibilities between EADS Military Aircraft, BAE Systems and Alenia Aerospazio. With it's various versions - IDS (Interdictor/Strike), IDS RECCE (Tactical Air Reconnaissance), ADV (Air Defence Version) and ECR (Electronic Combat and Reconnaissance) - the Tornado is the backbone of the German Air Force (GAF), the German Navy (GNY), the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Italian Air Force (IAF) and their "Crisis Reaction Forces". In these operational roles (IDS RECCE/ECR) the GAF TORNADO combat aircraft successfully participated since mid 1995 in NATO's Combined Air Operations over the former Yugoslavia and thus demonstrated a convincing contribution to Peace Support Operations (PSO).

Lessons learned from these missions are an important basis for the Tornado modular capability enhancement programmes. The main objective is to improve weapon system performance and accuracy, while enhancing the aircraft's ability to operate in a multi-national environment.

The capability enhancement programmes are designed to support and intensify the long-term operational role of the GAF and GNY Tornado combat aircraft with respect to stand-off and precision munition delivery capability, survivability, and the processing and transfer of command, control, and reconnaissance data.

To keep up with these increasing requirements over the next two decades all remaining GAF and Navy Tornado combat aircraft will undergo a further upgrade program during the upcoming years, the so called ASSTA 2 (Avionics System Software Tornado in Ada) whereby software as well as hardware update go in parallel.

The ASSTA 2 contract, sponsored by the Italian and German customer, comprises two major parts. The "Display System Upgrade" (DSU) in both cockpits including the "Human Machine Interface" (HMI), and the "Tornado Defensive Aids Subsystem,, (TDASS) concerning improvements for survivability against the most modern air defence systems (SAMs).

Due to the fact, that complex software projects like ASSTA 1/ASSTA 2 require some developing time, the aircraft avionics can only scarcely be updated to new combat scenarios in time. EADS Military Aircraft perceived that problem and reacted with new proceedings by adapting the required software changes step by step, e.g., ASSTA 1A. For the future this procedure will be accomplished in a joint effort together with the customer at the new "Software Support Centre" at Manching. Furthermore, the weapons and components associated with the ASSTA 1 program, such as HARM III, HARM C Block IVN, Kormoran II, GBU-24 including Laser Designator Pod, were intensively tested during two campaigns in 2001/02 and were released for operations. In the same timeframe EADS Military Aircraft successfully completed the upgrade programme for the GAF Reconnaissance Wing 51 "Immelmann" by delivering the last improved Tornado Recce Pod/Telelens Pod.

Due to the complexity of systems required in the future it is indispensable to reduce risk in the experimental research phase right from the beginning. Therefore EADS Military Aircraft established the Avionics Demonstrator Tornado (ADT) to facilitate the development and integration of new avionics in a relatively short time. The benefits of such an experimental program are experience in operational and technical aspects before series production, the flexible and cost efficient change of hardware and software, risk reduction, customer support in the specification phase using early demonstrations and constant product improvements. The ADT is a pod attached to the centre pylon of a Tornado combat aircraft. A colour display and an additional control panel are installed in the rear cockpit.

The pod itself has a modular structure, so it can be reconfigured with different equipment and is connected to the aircraft via a standard interface for exchange of information and image display in cockpit. The number one project in the ADT program at this time is MIDS/LINK16 integration. The point of main effort hereby is the risk free gradual integration into Tornado. Furthermore topics such as sensor fusion, voice recognition and on-board diagnostic system will be developed and tested by using the ADT pod.

For the Royal Air Force (RAF) EADS Military Aircraft developed avionics hard-and software for the Tornado GR4 and the Tornado F3. A major avionics capability improvement of the UK aircraft is achieved by the introduction of the Upgraded Main Computer (U MC) with Ada 95 software for the Tornado GR4 and enhancement of the Tornado F3 Main Computer performance with a Power PC.

The UMC on the Tornado GR4 allows the integration of new functionalities with modern weapons and subsystems, e.g., the tactical data link for a digital realtime communication in an operational network scenario. Apart from the major capability enhancement programs, one of the more significant challenges facing Tornado combat aircraft is how the aircraft is going to reach its "Out of Service Date" 2020+. It was originally designed for 4000 flying hours, but to get beyond 2020 requires duplication of flying hours. It is not only just an issue for the aircraft structure either, as all of the aircraft system components were designed with the same useful life time.

Due to this fact, EADS together with the partner companies and Turbo Union is working on a Life Extension Program for the Tornado IDS and ADV. The aim is to expand the current-life of the Tornado combat aircraft up to 8000 flying hours. This program considers only flight safety relevant equipment, the aircraft structure and the engine and might be launched in 2003 after customer's approval. For the Tornado F3 a Mid Life Fatigue Program (MLFP) has already been developed and is currently implemented. Within the scope of this program 24 centre fuselages are structurally enhanced at EADS Military Aircraft aerostructures plant Augsburg.

For the future, further upgrades of the Tornado fleet are planned. These will affect areas such as electronic warfare (EW), countermeasures and self-protection capabilities, including a new digital missile warning system, towed radar decoys and additional flares and precision approach capabilities. Due to the rapid changes in the high technology sector and the necessity of continuous implementation of the new findings concerning crisis management, it is necessary, to come up with a new, more selective, flexible, fast and cost effective way in respect to planning and decision cycles. Both the German MoD and EADS Military Aircraft are aware of those facts. The GAF is confident that with these objectives in mind the fulfilment of their national and international tasks will be guaranteed well into the new century.

With revenues amounting to 30.8 billion EUR in 2001 (excluding Airbus UK) and a workforce of over 100,000, EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company is the largest European aerospace company and the No 2 worldwide. It is active in the sectors of commercial aircraft, helicopters, space, military transport and combat aircraft as well as defence technology and services. Among others, EADS holds 80 percent of Airbus, 75 percent of the space company Astrium, 100 percent of the helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter, 43 percent in the Eurofighter programme and 37.5 percent in the missile company MBDA

Your contact:
Military Aircraft
Wolfram Wolff
Phone: +49-89-607 25711
Fax: +49-89-607 22455
e-mail: wolfram.wolff@m.eads.net